


Two Guys, Two Jokes Plus One Conference Equals Two Confessions

by franscats



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-16
Updated: 2015-02-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 06:52:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3371909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franscats/pseuds/franscats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blair has played a practical joke on a member of Major Crimes every April Fool's Day.  This year, he is at a conference with Jim on April first and decides to play a joke on Jim.  Unfortunately, for Blair, Jim decides to retaliate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Guys, Two Jokes Plus One Conference Equals Two Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> This was done for the Sentinel Thursday Challenge #372 - Water
> 
> This is rated PG for m/m relations (not graphic)  
> Spoilers for Sentinel Too

Blair looked down at his own face reflected in the small pool of water. A young man with large blue eyes, twinkling with mischief, stared back at him. He had asked Jim to meet him here because Jim had to get over his aversion to fountains. Jim found them more upsetting than Blair did, but thinking over this, Blair admitted he had been unconscious for most of what happened at the fountain. Jim finding him floating in one and then having to call on his spirit guide to bring Blair back had to be traumatic. Especially since Jim didn’t even want to admit he had a spirit guide, sentinel mysticism was not something Jim wanted to deal with.

Shaking his head ruefully, Blair let his thoughts wander to more productive thoughts. He was in San Diego, at a conference, it was warm, sunny, and Jim was with him. Unfortunately, it was also March 31rst – tomorrow would be April Fools’ Day and on April first Blair had played a trick on one member of Major Crimes every year - for years. The first year, as an observer, he had gotten H with a whoopee cushion and a hand buzzer. That had been the start of a tradition. 

The second year, it had been Joel. Blair had been able to get specially prepared little bite sized pineapple danishes and left them on Jim’s desk knowing Jim wouldn’t eat them, Jim didn’t like pineapple, but Joel was famous for taking danishes. What Joel didn’t know was in addition to sweet pineapple filling, the pastry was filled with a harmless blue dye and Joel ate two before he realized his mouth had turned blue.

The next year, he had gotten Rafe by having a friend come in and offer himself as a snitch. It was the most absurd interview anyone had ever seen because Blair and his friend had concocted the most ridiculous answers and innuendos. By the end of the interview, all of Major Crimes was falling on the floor laughing.

Last year, as Major Crimes’ junior detective and Jim’s official partner, he had gotten Megan despite all her precautions. She had been on her guard knowing she was probably next on the hit list so on March 30th in preparation, Blair had put a radio controlled mechanical mouse in the back of her always messy desk drawer and used a remote to make it run around all day on April Fools’ Day. It had taken her hours to work out what was going on. Finally, she had found it and tossed the mouse angrily on Sandburg’s desk glaring at him as H and Rafe had laughed hysterically. 

This year it was either Jim or Simon’s turn and Blair suspected that’s why he and Jim were sent to this conference on new forensic information. It didn’t hurt to keep Jim up on this stuff; he was after all a forensic lab in and of himself, but Blair was sure they were sent to keep Major Crimes’ practical joker away from Simon.

Blair had a reputation to keep up but he also had to live with Jim who did not appreciate practical jokes and was a lot stronger, and thanks to covert ops training, knew how to hide a body. In addition, there were, of course, some conditions this year that would make this harder, he wasn’t in Cascade and getting around sentinel senses would not be easy. Not impossible but not easy. And because they weren’t home, the sentinel was just a bit more cautious, this not being his territory. Blair also had to be careful about what he did. As a sentinel, Jim was to some extent vulnerable, especially to spikes, so while a buzzer might be ticklish to H it would be painful to Jim. So Blair sat at the fountain trying to think of how he could get Jim and still survive to see April 2nd as he awaited his partner’s arrival.

They had been in a seminar on blood typing this day, Blair enjoying the academic feel of the conference (something his partner did not) and taking notes, part of his thoughts on Jim, considering whether Jim could distinguish blood types with his senses – he would test that later when they were home – when Jim suggested getting out of the hotel after the seminar and going somewhere nearby for a snack before the obligatory evening cocktail reception and dinner. Jim had said he would get some directions and recommendations from the concierge and Blair suggested meeting in front of the fountain by the hotel entrance. Blair couldn’t miss Jim’s reaction but Jim had agreed, going off to get maps and his car rental. Deciding fountains and Jim’s reactions to them were issues for another day, Blair went back to contemplating what he could do to his sentinel for April Fools’ Day. They were free tomorrow night. There were only two reception nights, the second and the last night, so he had time. But what to do, he wondered his fingers gently splashing in the warm water of the fountain.

The cocktail and dinner reception were low key that night, Blair and Jim sitting at a table with a pleasant group from neighboring Seattle and listening to tales of the equally ridiculous things that went on in their precinct. After the reception Jim decided to hit the gym before it closed. Blair, not quite as interested in exercise on weight machines, decided to take a walk around the hotel. He rolled his eyes at Jim’s admonition to be careful and take his cell phone, thinking he was not, despite his reputation, a trouble magnet but he agreed to appease his sentinel. He told Jim he wanted the fresh air after being in the hotel for most of the day but in actuality he was still struggling with the idea of what to do to Jim tomorrow. There were things he wanted to do to Jim but those actions would never be associated with jokes and he kept those things close to his heart and focused on the task at hand. He had thought and discarded a whole bunch of ideas including dribble cups, disappearing ink and canned snakes but those were all unimaginative ideas for amateurs. Blair was a pro, such things were beneath him.

As he walked around the hotel barely paying attention to the grounds and considering what he would do, he reached the outdoor pool and stopped to look at the dark area. The outdoor pool closed at 9:00 and the gate was shut, the lights out with a sign that announced it was closed and redirected people to the indoor pool. Beyond the gate, the pool rested in dark shadows and if someone snuck in he could take a late night swim in private, unseen. And that was when Blair got his idea. Smiling as he began to think it through, he turned and headed back to the hotel humming to himself. Tomorrow night Jim would be the latest recipient of one of Blair’s April Fools’ Day jokes.

The next day, the conference went well. There were presentations on forensic investigations and Blair again took notes considering what he would test against Jim’s abilities later. His partner didn’t seem overly cautious despite the date and the two had a quiet day before finding a really nice bar/restaurant for drinks and dinner (with a large lounge where they caught part of a Jags game) before heading back. 

Parking the rental car in the lot of the hotel Jim glanced at the time. “It’s too late to hit the gym,” he stated, with a shake of his head. He disliked conferences, especially ones outside of Cascade and the one thing that made them bearable was the decent assortment of exercise equipment the hotels usually boasted. He would exhaust himself on the machines so he could get a good night’s sleep. For some reason sleeping in hotel rooms bothered him. He was sure if he asked Blair the reason, Blair could tell him some sentinel crap was the cause but he didn’t ask. 

Instead, he pocketed his keys and looked around the brightly lit entrance to the hotel as Blair stood beside him hoping his joke would work. It was either this or a dribble cup for his toothpaste. “Hey Jim, why don’t we go for a swim?” he asked.

“The gym is closed Einstein, it’s after ten.”

“I know but the pool in the back is dark. No one would know.”

“Chief it’s closed,” Jim repeated and Blair leaned in close smiling, his eyes lighting with mischief.

“We could sneak in and take a quick dip,” he coaxed, softly. “Nobody would catch us.” He let a hand rest on the sentinel’s arm and tried his best Guide voice. “It would help you relax and get a good night’s sleep. You know you don’t sleep well in hotels.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why he didn’t sleep well in hotels, but then Jim decided he might not want to know. Instead, Jim sighed and turned staring off into the dark and Blair envied the fact that Jim could probably see the pool. He knew Jim wasn’t overly thrilled at having sentinel senses but Blair would give anything to experience heightened senses. “A quick dip,” Jim answered, and Blair could hear he was giving in.

“Ten laps around the pool for you and water exercises for me,” Blair agreed, and Jim nodded thinking they weren’t in their hometown so what the hell. If caught what would the hotel do – yell at them. 

The pair went to their room and rummaged in the suitcases, grabbing their swimming trunks, a couple of towels, and sweats to wear over their bathing suits, before making their way down to the gate where it took Jim under a minute to pick the lock. “You know it’s a good thing you became a cop,” Blair whispered sentinel soft beside Jim as the sentinel hung the lock on the gate. “With your abilities you could be a very successful cat burglar.”

Jim chuckled softly as he closed the gate and placed his towel and sweats on the side of the pool furthest from the hotel light. Blair squinting in the poor lighting at the dark figure beside him did the same and then Jim dove into the water as Blair entered a bit more sedately. 

Finding the spot where the jets were pushing the filtered water into the pool and stirring up the water, Blair leaned back against the side, his hands tight on the edge. His timing was going to have to be impeccable if he wanted this joke to play out and so he waited until Jim was heading around on his tenth lap, having relaxed into the rhythm of the exercise but now running slower since he was tired and then as Jim passed, Blair grabbed Jim’s swim trunks. Jim turned as he felt his bathing suit being yanked off going under and spinning around as his bathing trunks, first tangled in his legs and then slipped off. In seconds he realized what Blair was doing and turned to grab his guide and his suit but Blair, splashing water from the jets in Jim’s face, hauled himself up and out of the pool holding the trunks.

“Lose something Jim?” he asked amused and Jim growled. 

“Give those to me Sandburg.”

“Uh, uh, come and get them,” Blair waved the dripping cloth like a flag and Jim glancing around climbed out the pool and put out his hand as Blair moved slowly back. 

“Chief give them to me before someone sees me.” Blair smiling smugly, knowing his sentinel could see his face, tossed them to Jim. 

“April Fools Jim,” he laughed and stepped back wishing he could see Jim more clearly. But Blair could imagine Jim red faced as he grabbed the suit and slipped it on before making his way to the sweats and towel.

“Very funny, Sandburg,” Jim answered with annoyance and Blair shrugged.

“Had to do something, man. It was either this or a dribble cup.” Jim shook his head and dried himself off before making his way to the gate and locking it behind Blair before stalking off to the hotel.

Because Simon had a limited budget, they were sharing a room with two queen size beds and Jim made it into the shower first, a little annoyed that Blair had caught him with the stupid trick. Blair needed a lesson. You didn’t take on a Ranger when it came to practical jokes. He was considering this as the hot water washed the chlorine from his sensitive body and, as an idea struck him, he smiled thinking the punishment should fit the crime. Coming out, a towel around his waist, his face carefully neutral, he indicated the bathroom was free and Blair still wearing the smug smile entered.

Thinking through his own little plan, Jim glanced at the boxers Blair had laid out for sleeping in. Yep, they were his usual. At home, he slept in absurd, ratty old boxers that he had gotten from various girlfriends. They were boxers he would never wear when on a date with the hope of someone seeing him with his pants off. You didn’t try and get lucky in cartoon character underwear or, in this case, brightly colored pacman boxers. Thinking Blair must have taken some girl on a date to an arcade to have received these, he glanced at the tank top Blair planned to sleep in. Not good enough. Quickly going through Blair’s things, he switched it for a smaller one, and then slipped into his own boxers, casually leaving a pair of sweats and tee shirt in reach. 

It took Blair a lot longer than Jim to shower, he had all that hair to wash, but he still made it out of the shower by eleven thirty and Jim hid a smile thinking it still wasn’t midnight. Technically, he still had half an hour to complete his little trick.

Blair, barely even looking around, grabbed his boxers and tank top throwing them on before moving to drop the towel in the bathroom. Coming back out, he was about to head for the bed, when Jim, jumping up, pushed the young man out the hotel door and closed it. In shock, Blair knocked on the door. 

“Jim what the hell are you doing?” he whispered looking down at himself and realizing he was in a hotel hall in ratty pacman boxers and a very tight tank. 

“April Fools Chief,” Jim said from the other side of the door. “Did you forget your key in the room? You better go down to the lobby and get another.”

“Jim this is so not funny. Let me in before someone sees me,” Blair answered, trying to keep his voice low, but still carry anger.

“Night Chief,” Jim answered moving away from the door but sliding on his own sweats and tee shirt. Jim had every intention of following Blair’s antics. Dropping his keycard into his pocket, he listened as his guide stood on the other side of the door for some minutes and then stalked down the hall.

Grumbling about annoying sentinels, Blair made straight for the ice machine, thinking he might at least get a towel from the linen closet, but of course it was closed and locked. Glancing around again, he cringed, hiding in the corner by the ice machine as the elevator door opened and two lovely ladies walked by giggling.

This was so annoying. Gritting his teeth, knowing things would only get worse the longer he waited, Blair glanced around surreptitiously, and then slid out from behind the ice machine and made his way to the elevator. 

The door opened and two people stared at him in shock as he stepped in and turned to face the numbers counting down to the lobby, his face and ears beet red. Jim, having stepped out into the hall watched his guide and snickering made a dash for the stairs.

Stepping out of the elevator and taking a deep breath, Blair, back straight, head high, marched to the front desk, where the night clerk looked up, trying to hide his own laughter. Knowing he was blushing furiously, Blair glared at him. “I got locked out of my room,” he demanded and the clerk nodded.

“I see sir,” the man answered, politely and asked for room specifics before calling security to escort the guest back to his room.

Blair kept his head held high, daring anyone to stay anything as he waited and then led the hotel employee to his own room, ignoring the burst of laughter that followed him from the front desk. All Blair could think about was how he was going to kill Jim. The security guard let Blair in the room, and Blair hit the wall switch with some force and found Jim in his own bed blankets drawn up. “Hey Chief,” he murmured, pretending sleep, “what happened?’

The guard looked over and nodded before turning to leave but Blair could hear him laughing as he went. Closing the door, he glared at Jim, as the sentinel sat up, a smug look on his face. “April Fools Chief.”

“Very funny,” Blair answered, locking the door.

“The person at the front desk thought so,” Jim answered and Blair glared harder, not that it seemed to faze Jim.

“You followed me down?”

“Yep.”

Not even thinking about what he was doing, Blair jumped onto Jim’s bed, using weight and surprise to pin Jim down, his hands and weight on Jim’s wrists holding him. Blair knew he couldn’t actually hold Jim like this, not for long anyway, Jim was stronger but he glared down, his chest heaving as he looked into his sentinel’s incredibly blue eyes. Then, almost inexplicably, something in him broke free and he leaned down and kissed his sentinel, his tongue sliding into Jim’s mouth.

His mind screamed immediately in panic at what he had just done and he raced to find an explanation for his own unexpected actions. He was thinking he could call it another April Fools' Day joke so Jim wouldn't kill him but those thoughts fled when, amazingly, Jim responded pulling one hand out of Blair’s grasp to reach up and caress the face of the beautiful man above him. “Blair if this is an April Fools’ joke stop now. This is no joke to me.”

Blair paused and looked at the man beneath him, feeling the strong muscular body he had dreamed about and thought unattainable. “It’s not,” he answered, leaning down to kiss his sentinel again, before glancing at the clock. “Aprils Fools’ Day ended ten minutes ago. This is our day.”

“Do you know how long I have wanted this?” Jim whispered.

“Probably as long as I have,” Blair slid a hand down Jim’s body. “But Jim I can’t do this here and not back in Cascade. You mean too much to me for anything less than a full commitment. If this isn’t something you could live with for the rest of your life stop me now.”

Jim smiled in response, looking into the cobalt blue eyes of his guide. “Blair we’ve been married for years. I guess it’s time we consummated it.” Jim leaned up to catch Blair’s lips again. “And no, there won’t be anyone else. But there better not be anyone else with you.”

“You are all I ever wanted,” Blair answered softly. 

And the two finally consummated a marriage of almost five years.


End file.
